2024 FETF grant has been announced…

Although the application opening date is yet to be confirmed (this article was published on 23rd February 2024), the list of eligible items has been published. The fund offers grants for specific items of equipment to increase productivity, boost environmental sustainability and improve animal health and welfare.

Percentage of payments is based on the expected average cost of the item, not the invoiced cost.

Please find below a list of the OPICO distributed machines that we believe are eligible for the grant.

*N.B. FETF 2024 is administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). All decisions on application approvals are made by the RPA. FETF 2024 grants only available in England. Full details.

 

Eligible item: FarmDroid

(FETF218 - Robotic drill and guided hoe)

Item must:

• be a robotic drill and guided hoe
• precisely place seed in the ground
• mechanically weed between drilled rows
• mechanically weed between plants in rows 
• be able to drill and hoe
• be able to operate autonomously in the field without an operator (apart from refilling the seed hopper)

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: Sky EasyDrill (3m - 8m)

(FETF206 - Direct drill with fertiliser placement)

Item must:

• be a direct drill with fertiliser placement
• use either tines or discs to produce the seeding slot
• have a 2.9m minimum drilling width
• have no cultivation or seed bed preparation equipment in front of the seeding slot mechanism except where part of the fertiliser placement.
• place the seed in the seeding slot
• place the fertiliser below or to the side of the seed in the seeding slot
• drill through an established growing cover crop of at least 15cm
• have separate seed and fertiliser hoppers
• have precision metering
• drill the full range of arable and cover crops including cereals

The following are not eligible: drills with cultivation or seed bed preparation equipment in front of the seeding slot, unless this is part of the fertiliser placement equipment, drills that broadcast fertiliser on the surface rather than place the fertiliser in the soil below or to the side of the seed, cultivators with over-seeders, cultivators with broadcasters, minimum till drills, strip till drills, grassland over-seeders, grassland broadcasters.

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: OPICO Air Seeders (400L)

(FETF207 - Air drill for establishing cover crops)

Item must:

• be a pneumatic (air) drill
• be designed to be mounted on existing drills or soil tillage equipment
• have electronic metering
• be able to drill small cover crop seeds
• use either pipes, coulters or spreader plates to place the seed
• have a minimum 3m drilling width
• have a seed hopper with a minimum 300L capacity

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: OPICO Camera-guided Inter-Row Cultivators

(FETF6 / FETF7 - Inter row hoe 3m/6m)

Item must:

• be an inter row hoe
• automatically distinguish between the crop row and weeds between the crop rows using camera recognition
• detect the position of the crop rows and automatically adjust the hoes to only remove weeds between the crop rows
• have a minimum 3m (FETF6) or 6m (FETF7) working width

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: OPICO Sward Lifter

(FETF112 - Grassland sward lifters)

Item must:

• be a grassland sward lifter
• have 3 minimum legs
• have adjustable depth control to a minimum 300mm
• have a cutting disc in front of each leg that cuts to a minimum 50mm depth
• have a packing roller behind each leg
• have a shear bolt or mechanical reset on each leg

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: HE-VA Top Cutter Solo

(FETF110 / FETF111 - Cover crop roller 3m+/6m+)

Item must:

• a cover crop roller to terminate or bruise cover crops before direct drilling
• have a minimum 3m (FETF110) or 6m (FETF111) working width
• have an uneven or ridged surface to help crimp or bruise the cover crop
• crimp or bruise the crop across the full working width of the roller

The following are not eligible: Flat rolls and ring rolls

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: HE-VA Grassland Stealth

(FETF112 - Grassland sward lifters)

Item must:

• be a grassland sward lifter
• have 3 minimum legs
• have adjustable depth control to a minimum 300mm
• have a cutting disc in front of each leg that cuts to a minimum 50mm depth
• have a packing roller behind each leg
• have a shear bolt or mechanical reset on each leg

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: HE-VA Multi-Seeder (410L)

(FETF207 - Air drill for establishing cover crops)

Item must:

• be a pneumatic (air) drill
• be designed to be mounted on existing drills or soil tillage equipment
• have electronic metering
• be able to drill small cover crop seeds
• use either pipes, coulters or spreader plates to place the seed
• have a minimum 3m drilling width
• have a seed hopper with a minimum 300L capacity

Percentage paid towards item: 60%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item

 

Eligible item: HE-VA Top Strigle

(FETF208 - Tractor mounted stubble rake, 6m)

Item must:

• be a tractor mounted stubble rake
• have a minimum 6m working width
• have tines to agitate the soil surface and spread crop residues evenly across the field
• break up damp mats of straw

Percentage paid towards item: 50%

Percentage based on RPA expected average cost of item